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Anemia is a condition in which blood has a lower-than-normal amount of red blood cells or hemoglobin. [1] Anemia in pregnancy is a decrease in the total red blood cells (RBCs) or hemoglobin in the blood during pregnancy. Anemia is an extremely common condition in pregnancy world-wide, conferring a number of health risks to mother and child. [2]
These are normal physiological adaptations that cause changes in behavior, the functioning of the heart, blood vessels, and blood, metabolism including increases in blood sugar levels, kidney function, posture, and breathing. During pregnancy numerous hormones and proteins are secreted that also have a broad range of effects.
Postpartum bleeding or postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is often defined as the loss of more than 500 ml or 1,000 ml of blood following childbirth. [2] Some have added the requirement that there also be signs or symptoms of low blood volume for the condition to exist. [ 6 ]
This pathology occurs due to the normal physiological drop in maternal clotting factors after delivery which greatly increases the risk of secondary postpartum hemorrhage. [14] Another bleeding risk factor is thrombocytopenia, or decreased platelet levels, which is the most common hematological change associated with pregnancy induced hypertension.
Decreased hematocrit levels could indicate life-threatening diseases such as leukemia. [36] When the bone marrow no longer produces normal red blood cells, hematocrit levels deviate from normal as well and thus can possibly be used in detecting acute myeloid leukemia. [37]
Pregnancy changes the plasma levels of many clotting factors, such as fibrinogen, which can rise up to three times its normal value. [2] Thrombin levels increase. [3] Protein S, an anticoagulant, decreases. However, the other major anticoagulants, protein C and antithrombin III, remain constant. [2]
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is the average volume of a red blood cell and is calculated by dividing the hematocrit (Hct) by the concentration of red blood cell count. [citation needed] = [] Normal range: 80–100 fL (femtoliter)
The large volume percentage of red blood cells at a normal hematocrit level leaves little room for cell motion and deformation without interacting with a neighboring cell. Calculations have shown that the maximum volume percentage of red blood cells without deformation is 58% which is in the range of normally occurring levels. [10]